Garde-corps

‘Would you like a souvenir? At the beginning of the 20th century, obtaining a portrait of oneself became accessible. The ‘photo card’ was the answer. Itinerant photographers went out to meet their customers where they lived or worked, or to busy areas such as tourist resorts, holiday resorts, health spas and means of transport. They also take advantage of special events such as religious celebrations, commemorations, village festivals, funfairs and so on.

The Garde-corps exhibition, on show from 16 March to 4 May 2024 at La Conserverie, un lieu d’archive in Metz, highlights the importance of street photographers around 1910-1930 in relation to housing. The exhibition has given rise to a new chapter in the Un livre – une image collection devoted to itinerant and studio photographers, through the collection built up by Emmanuelle Fructus over more than fifteen years, bringing together images from around 1900 to 1960.